Interesting Take from Lyle Jamieson

[crokett™]

I have a smaller lathe. Cutting the corners off means I can turn a larger bowl. It also reduces the weight of the blank for my lathe. I will still knock th corners off, I will just use my electric chainsaw to do it.

[MichaelMouse]

I have a smaller lathe. Cutting the corners off means I can turn a larger bowl. It also reduces the weight of the blank for my lathe.  I will still knock th corners off, I will just use my electric chainsaw to do it.

Lyle notwithstanding, a circle-cutting jig on your bandsaw will get you that max swing over and over with no gobacks.  


It will also teach you what's proper diameter.  FWIW the 3000 is advertised as a 400mm/16" swing, but it's really 400/15.74".  I don't need an adjustable jig, just a max allowed. 

Note another Newton truth often disregarded:  undercutting the endgrain on a slant to more or less the width of available curve balances the startup better.

[crokett™]

Lyle notwithstanding, a circle-cutting jig on your bandsaw will get you that max swing over and over with no gobacks.  


It will also teach you what's proper diameter.  FWIW the 3000 is advertised as a 400mm/16" swing, but it's really 400/15.74".  I don't need an adjustable jig, just a max allowed. 

Note another Newton truth often disregarded:  undercutting the endgrain on a slant to more or less the width of available curve balances the startup better.

I have a jig that I use to draw a circle on the log to guide cutting it.  I get as close as I can to the line.   Dry and thinner stock I will still use the bandsaw but I have a smaller 12" saw.  I only have about 5" of vertical clearance so the really big stuff I can't cut on the bandsaw anyway.

[MichaelMouse]

I have a jig that I use to draw a circle on the log to guide cutting it.  I get as close as I can to the line.   Dry and thinner stock I will still use the bandsaw but I have a smaller 12" saw.  I only have about 5" of vertical clearance so the really big stuff I can't cut on the bandsaw anyway.

Make a simple slide and turn jig for your brand of bandsaw.  https://youtu.be/Uem-9Wz1Dt8 Once again, you only need a max allowable diameter pivot for the lathe.

When producing your blank, make it more or less trapezoidal images-1.png (801×489) (theeducationlife.com) by undercutting the endgrain.  You don't have to round full thickness (h), just enough to get a circle which fits under the guide. Distance a, involving the outside of the log should end up more or less the same along and across the grain.

Since I use a 1" pin chuck, I use a bolt for a pivot. The old iron Delta will cut 6.25 under the guide, but I've done 10" thicknesses by rounding only a 4" trapezoid edge.

[AHill]

You missed a key adjective -   cutting wet, thick wood

You combined what he said.  

Lyle's exact quote was:  "A bandsaw is not designed to do thick wood.  It's not designed to cut wet wood."  I see that as two separate claims.  I still maintain it's not the bandsaw that's the issue.  It's the blade.  He also implied a large bandsaw could do it:  "unless you've got a big, hunking, $5000 bandsaw...".  Again, he's implying the issue is with the bandsaw and not the blade.

[MKepke]

<snip>
Note another Newton truth often disregarded:  undercutting the endgrain on a slant to more or less the width of available curve balances the startup better.

One of the things I learned from Jamison's videos in this same series (as the OP posted) is how to balance a blank between centers for best performance while roughing. This made it clear to me that precisely cutting the blank was fairly pointless.

On this block, the difference between the mathematical center of the blank and the balance point was about an inch, maybe a bit less. If the mathematical center is used tho, this blank will walk this ~350# lathe around the shop.

For reference, the lathe has a 20" swing.

-Mark

[crokett™]

One of the things I learned from Jamison's videos in this same series (as the OP posted) is how to balance a blank between centers for best performance while roughing.  This made it clear to me that precisely cutting the blank was fairly pointless.

On this block, the difference between the mathematical center of the blank and the balance point was about an inch, maybe a bit less.  If the mathematical center is used tho, this blank will walk this ~350# lathe around the shop. 

For reference, the lathe has a 20" swing.

-Mark

I just watched what I think is the video you reference.  I have always attached a face plate to the rough blank and started it that way.  I always have 2 issues with that, which lyle addresses.  The first is having a flat spot for the face plate.  The second is using the geographical (his words) center and turning an unbalanced piece.  I think I will try using his method of balancing and TBC first on the next blank I do.